Echinacea purpurea Robin Hood - Purple Coneflower

Echinacea purpurea Robin Hood, also known as Echinacea 'JS Roho', is a tall flowering perennial whose bright pink flowers bloom from July to September. Truly beautiful and intensely cheerful, this plant, favoured by enthusiasts, is ideal for cutting or drying. It is also a very resistant plant that adapts to difficult conditions, tolerating occasional intense heat, humidity, and drought. It can even grow in poor soils.

Native to the western United States, the purple coneflower is a meadow perennial. 'Robin Hood' is an upright form, 70 cm (28in) tall and 40 cm (16in) wide. The dark green lanceolate deciduous leaves are covered in rough hairs. Flowering occurs in late summer and is loved by butterflies and bees. The branched green-reddish stems each end in a solitary bright pink head with an orange central disc. This plant anchors firmly and deeply in the soil, thanks to its well-developed root system.

Echinacea purpurea Robin Hood can be associated with other echinaceas and meadow plants such as monardas and meadow cranesbill, as well as grasses like Sporobolus heterolepis, Stipa tenuifolia, or Eragrostis curvula. Once dried, the flowers will form lovely bouquets. They can also be left in place in autumn for the delight of birds.

Properties: In homoeopathy, its root is used to fight against colds and strengthen the immune system. These properties were first used by Native Americans. The name Echinacea comes from the Greek echinos which means "hairy or like a hedgehog" and acea which means "having the shape of", alluding to the flower heads.